Casablanca derby

Casablanca derby
The Casablanca Derby is the football match in Morocco between Casablanca rivals Raja Club Athletic and Wydad Athletic Club. Traditionally played in the Stade Mohamed V, it is considered as one of the fiercest derbies in the world.
Since the beginning of Botola, the two teams have never been relegated and have always played each other every season whether in the league or in Throne Cup. They faced each other outside of national competitions once, during the 2019 Arab Cup of Champion Clubs. This duel is accentuated by a social dimension; Wydad is closer to the bourgeoisie class, while Raja is more popular since it has always been associated to the Moroccan trade union from which many of its founders and presidents belong. However, these ideological differences have faded over time and supporters of the two clubs now come from different social backgrounds.
The post 1980s period is marked by a rivalry in performance and prestige. It intensified even more over in the 2000s with the emergence of ultras groups. The Casablanca Derby is considered to be the football pinnacle in the Kingdom, due to its number of matches which exceeded the 150 in 2022, making it the most played confrontation in Moroccan football history, and the enthusiasm of the supporters who attach particular importance to it since it represents the opposition of the most popular and successful clubs in Morocco.
The top scorer in the history of the Casablanca Derby is Said Ghandi with 7 goals, followed by Mohsine Moutouali and Mouhcine Iajour with six goals each.
History
Wydad have historically been seen as more middle-class and privileged thanks to the one-time backing of King Mohammed V before his death in 1961. Wydad Casablanca has historically been associated with the Moroccan monarchy due to its close ties with the Moroccan royal family. The club's colors, red and white, are also said to symbolize the Moroccan monarchy.
Raja Casablanca, on the other hand, has traditionally been associated with leftist and populist politics. The club was founded in 1949 by a group of leftist activists and intellectuals who wanted to create a team that represented the working class. The club's colors, green and white, are said to symbolize the hope and renewal of the Moroccan people.
Incidents and memorable matches
As in most of the world's derbies, riots and fights can take place before, during and especially after a major game.
On February 10, 1957, the first meeting took place between the two rivals, and witnessed Raja's victory 1–0 at Stade Philip in Casablanca.
In 1978, Raja players withdrew from the match against Wydad during the last 10 minutes of the second-half because they were mistreated after conceding a penalty with a red card to their goalkeeper. Raja players did not accept the referee's decision and left the stadium by order of their captain Mohamed Fakhir, while Pitchou sat on the ball and waited with passion to score this penalty but Raja players refused to continue the match. The game ended by a score of 1–0 for Wydad.
In 1996, Raja defeated Wydad 5–1 in the Moroccan Throne Cup quarts-finals. This score is the highest between the two rivals.
On April 6, 2001, Wydad initially won 3–0, but Raja complained about the illegal participation of the substitute Abdelhaq Ait Laarif who was registered with both Wydad and Étoile de Casablanca. The Moroccan federation accorded the win to Raja.
On September 29, 2001, during the 100th derby which was part of the semifinals for the Moroccan Throne Cup, Youssef Belkhouja, a Wydad player, died on the pitch of a heart attack.
On 24 May 2006, there was a fierce competition between the two rivals to clinch the league title. Raja scored first with a penalty by Abdellatif Jrindou, that result would have given Raja the title; but at the end of the match (at the 90+6 minute), a staggering strike from a long distance by Hicham Louissi gave Wydad the draw needed to win the league for the 16th time after 13 years of the last cup.
On October 20, 2007, during an encounter between rival team supporters, Hamza Eddali, a Wydad fan who was 17, died. He is to date the last person killed in the Casablanca derby.
On April 18, 2010, after Raja beat Wydad with a score of 1–0, a fight broke out between Wydad and Raja fans. Over one hundred people were arrested.
In 2012, Wydad requested the FIFA and Royal Moroccan Football Federation to count the 5 titles that the club won in the regional championship organized during the Colonial Era in Morocco by french authorities before the creation of the Moroccan federation in 1956 as Botola titles. Their request was accepted and so, increased Wydad's Botola titles from 12 to 17. Wydad is the only club in Morocco to have their titles from the colonial era (before 1956) admitted by the FIFA.
On November 2019, the two rivals met in the second round of the Arab Club Championship. This was the first time that the derby took place in a non-local competition. The first game ended 1–1, with Wydad leading by away goals. The second leg was one of if not the most epic match in derby history, with Wydad going up 4–1 with 15 minutes to play and Raja coming back to score in the 94th minute to make it 4–4, with Raja progressing on away goals. This is the record for most combined goals in derby history but the match is also notable for its extraordinary atmosphere, with numerous Tifos being displayed and fireworks and flares going off throughout the match, the latter of which there were so many it looked at times that the stands were on fire.
Results
Key
Colors
Botola
These are the meetings in the Botola
Throne Cup
These are the meetings in the Moroccan Throne Cup
Arab Club Champions Cup
These are the meetings in the Arab Club Champions Cup
Statistics
Overall match statistics
Honours
Wydad leads Raja in terms of official overall trophies. Wydad have 22 domestic league titles compared to 12 for Raja, while both have three titles in the CAF Champions League.
Head-to-head ranking (1957–2023)
Records
Results
Biggest wins (3+ goals)
Longest undefeated runs
Players
Top scorers
Most Player appearances
Personnel at both clubs
Players
The first players to move from Raja to Wydad and back were Abdulaziz Anini and Ezzeddine Abdel-Rafi in 1973.
Raja then Wydad
1965: Abdallah Azhar
1967: Mustapha Milazzo
1969: Moussa Hanoun
1973: Mohamed Maâroufi
1973: Azzeddine Abderrafii
1975: Moustapha Choukri
1980: Aziz Kharbouch
1981: Jawad El Andaloussi
1981: Mohamed Fennani
1983: Abdellatif Beggar
1983: Jawad Chennaoui
1987: Faouzi Kadmiri
1998: Nabil Okba
2003: Adil Serraj
2004: Zakaria Aboub
2004: Mourad Fellah
2008: Mustapha Bidoudane
2009: Mohamed Armoumen
2010: Mouhssine Iajour
2011: Said Fettah
2011: Hicham El Amrani
2012: Omar Najdi
2012: Anas El Asbahi
2017: Zakaria El Hachimi
2018: Michael Babatunde
2022: Hamid Ahadad
2023: Jamal Harkass
Wydad then Raja
1949: Abdelkader Jalal
1957: Mohamed Beggar
1963: Mustapha Bettache
1965: Abdelkader Bozambo
1973: Abdelaziz Anini
1974: Mohammed Sahraoui
1989: Mohammed Sahil
1989: Mustapha Bark
1990: Hassan Hirs
1992: Mustapha El Gherchi
1992: Khalil Azmi
2006: Khalid Fouhami
2009: Youness Bellakhder
2010: Tarik El Jarmouni
2010: Zakaria Ismaili
2011: Abdelhaq Ait Laarif
2012: Abdelmajid Eddine
2014: Jawad Issine
2014: Lys Mouithys
2015: Youssef Kaddioui
2017: Abdeladim Khadrouf
2021: Mohammed Nahiri
2022: Haitam El Bahja
Managers
Raja then Wydad
?: Abdelhak El Kadmiri
?: Abderrahman Mahjoub
?: Abdelkader Lakhmiri
?: Dobromir Tashkov
1997: Alexandru Moldovan
2002: Oscar Fulloné
2018: Faouzi Benzarti
2020: Juan Carlos Garrido
Wydad then Raja
1956: Kacem Kacemi
1957: Père Jégo
1981: Mustapha Bettache
2001: Yuriy Sevastyanenko
2008: José Romão
References
External links
Casablanca clash guarantees drama
Football in Morocco
Sport in Casablanca
Association football rivalries
Raja CA
Wydad AC
1956 establishments in Morocco
Recurring sporting events established in 1956